Deltic Swansong- Images from the Collection of Neville Stead

The renowned Deltic class had a lifespan of only just over 20 years in front line service on the Eastern region and yet in that time they created a following that remains as strong today as when the last one switched off its engines for the final time back in 1982. Two men who retain a particular affinity for the class are photographer Neville Stead and former BR Deltic fitter and technician Nigel Petre. In this new book the two have combined to record the final months of the class in revenue Earling service describing in pictorial form both their regular, special and often off-route travels and even the tribulations of individual locomotives which sometimes lead to actual withdrawals. ‘Deltic Swansong’ will appeal to anyone who recalls both the class in regular service accompanied by the unique sound of their twin Napier engines as well as the preserved examples whose popularity displays no signs of diminishing.